LePage budget cuts incubator funding, VC report excludes MVF deals, Q&A with Abierto's Rick Sales, and more...

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Jan. 13, 2017
By Whit Richardson (@whit_richardson)

Apologies for the late Friday arrival. Enjoy some weekend reading. Jumping right in...

Incubator funding at risk

LePage proposal cuts funding for business incubators, co-working fund
Gov. Paul LePage's two-year budget, introduced last week, included a surprise for Maine's entrepreneurial community—a plan to cut state funding for business incubators, inlcuding the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development in Portland and the Target Technology Center in Orono. If passed, the cuts would leave a not-insignificant hole in MCED's budget, made worse because the state funds were also required to match incoming federal funds. MCED's Tom Rainey, Cathy Renault, MTI's Brian Whitney, and Adrienne Bennett of the governor's office, all chime in on the matter.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
 

VC report doesn't tell whole story

New report shows weak VC activity in Maine, but excludes deals
Maine saw a single venture capital deal in the fourth quarter of 2016, according to the most recent MoneyTree Report, which tracks venture capital deals across the country on a quarterly basis. However, the report deserves an asterisk as a change in methodology means deals involving the Maine Venture Fund are no longer being included.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
 

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Founder Forum

  Rick Sales of Abierto Networks 

Abierto Networks isn't the most well known company in southern Maine, but if you've been inside a gas station convenience store or fast food restaurant, chances are you've seen Abierto's technology at work. Sales founded the company in 2005, though it only really took off in its current iteration offering digital marketing solutions to the convenience store and fast food industry after he moved it to Maine in 2011. In our conversation, Sales talks about the challenges of hiring the right people, his "ready, fire, aim" philosophy on product development, why he provides stock options to employees, and why every entrepreneur should be comfortable with selling.
Read the Founder Forum interview with Rick Sales >>

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Roster Report

CashStar has a new VP of Marketing. Nate Smith relocated to Portland from the San Francisco Bay Area to join the digital gift card company. He previously held senior marketing and product management roles at Monster and Yahoo!. A Maine native, Smith returns after 15 years in California. His last Portland-based position was as director of marketing and business development for Recruiternet.
 

Briefly mentioned...

+ CourseStorm, the EdTech company in Orono, has been accepted into the LearnLaunch accelerator in Boston. As part of the two-month intensive accelerator, CourseStorm received $50,000 and is eligible to receive up to $120,000 in funding. 

+ Hashim Allah won the third Pitch York County business pitch contest and $750 on Thursday night at Think Tank in Biddeford. His company, Hallah Edutainment, offers project-based educational programs for middle and high school students. Runner up was Ben Nussbaum, a Bates student, who won $350 for his mobile app called Autolink. Don't think there's a website yet, but Nussbaum's AngelList profile calls it a "startup promoting global automotive transactions."
 

Jobs

Seeking a full-stack engineer? A technical co-founder? A sales or biz dev superstar? Send me your job postings to make this a great resource!

+ CourseStorm in Orono is hiring a growth hacker—or what the company refers to as a "creative scientist—to help elevate its marketing and user-acquisition efforts. Details here. 

+ SoundRink, a concert promotion company in Portland, is hiring a customer service rep.

+ Coria, a Maine-based data science and marketing consulting firm, is currently seeking an experienced UX developer with Axure experience to join its team. To apply, or for more information, send CEO John Hobart an email at jhobart@coria.com.

+ Flyte New Media, a digital marketing agency in Portland, is hiring a WordPress developer.

+ BlueTarp Financial in Portland is hiring a senior software engineer.

+ Academic Merit, an educational software startup in Portland, is hiring a front-end developer and a software engineer.

+ Environetix Technology Corp., a wireless sensor manufacturer in Orono, is hiring a RF engineer/RF technician.

+ Shines & Jecker Laboratories, a Portland-based web development shop, is hiring a part-time developer.

+ Dream Local Digital in Rockland is hiring for a host of positions.

+ Big Room Studios is hiring a front-end developer specializing in React, Angular, and Polymer. They're also looking for back-end developers with experience in Node.

+ Likeable Local is hiring a "customer success manager" and content strategy associate in its Portland office.

+ Double Blue Sports Analytics, with offices in Orono and Brunswick, is looking to hire software engineers. If interested, shoot them an email.

+ Vets First Choice continues to hire like mad. It still has job listings for several positions at its Portland office, from software and systems engineers to data analysts and a sales director.

+ CashStar is hiring a slew of design, engineering and biz dev positions.

+ Kepware Technologies is hiring software and web developers.
 

Calendar

Send me your event or calendar item for possible inclusion.

Wed., Jan. 25 — Maine Venture Fund is offering a free webinar on corporate governance from noon to 1 p.m. Find more details and register here.

Fri., Jan. 27 — Social Media Breakfast Maine kicks off the new year with "Making Time for Your Marketing and Growing Your Business," from 7:30-10 a.m. at Portland’s Masonic Temple on Congress Street. Tickets are $15. More details here.

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